A season-high crowd of
27,039 flowed through the turnstiles at Monmouth Park on Sunday and were
treated to a pair of impressive favorites taking the two Father’s Day stakes
events.
Kicking off the stakes
action was Royal Currier, who took command early and never looked back in the
$65,000 Anderson Fowler Stakes, as Gunfighter grabbed command approaching the
quarter-pole before drawing off to victory in the $65,000 Bernie Dowd Handicap.
Mat Stables’ Royal Currier
covered the 5 ½ furlongs over firm turf in 1:02 flat and paid $4.60, $3.40 and
$2.80 as the favorite in the field of nine colts and geldings. It was a length and a quarter back to
Christiesborntorun, who completed the $30.20 exacta and paid $5.60 and $4. Freud’s Honour was another two lengths back
in third, good for a $4.40 show mutuel.
“He’s a very tactical horse
with a very bright future,” said winning jockey Joe Bravo. “He’s really good at following
instructions. He just flew around
there.”
A 3-year-old by Red Bullet
from the Lite the Fuse mare Top of the League, Royal Currier earned his sixth
win in 12 starts by taking the Anderson Fowler.
He has earned $235,950 for his connections, who indicated the Jersey
Shore Stakes (Grade 3, $150,000) at Monmouth on July 3, could be the gelding’s
next start.
In the Bernie Dowd,
Gunfighter proved a much-the-best winner, taking the mile and 70 yards contest by
three lengths in 1:41 3/5. The winner
paid $4.80, $3.60 and $2.80 as the favorite in the field of nine New
Jersey-bred colts and geldings.
Trained by Steve Klesaris,
Gunfighter topped the $217.60 exacta with longshot Adduce, who rallied for the
place, paying $34 and $10.20. It was
another three-quarters of a length back to pacesetter Hermosillo, who paid $5.80 to show.
“He’s a really good horse,”
said winning jockey Jose Valdivia Jr.
“The fractions seemed to be demanding, but he was doing it on his
own. At the head of the lane, I called
on him and he kicked on and had another gear.”
Gunfighter, a gelding by
Iron Deputy from the Mazel Trick mare Sweetgeorgiabrown, bumped his lifetime
mark to 4-4-1 from 14 starts. He’s
earned $225,052 for owners Susan Moore and M and M Thoroughbred Partners.